Increasingly, I’m getting questions from my clients about whether they should apply to a position they see on LinkedIn – or go directly to the company’s website.

I want to start by saying loud and clear: I DO NOT recommend putting your resume on your LI profile. When a recruiter accesses your LI resume, it has not been customized to a specific job. In fact, your “generic” resume may not speak to the position the recruiter is offering at all. While that may be because the job they are offering isn’t in your area of interest, it could also be a job you would be interested in even though it’s not in your primary focus area.

It’s much better to have the recruiter reach out to you and for you to obtain a copy of the job description so you can tailor your resume and cover letter accordingly.

Now that I’ve stepped off my soap box, here are the pros to applying via LinkedIn.

LinkedIn – the Pros

-The “Easy Apply” function is, as the name implies, easy. You can cut corners and submit stored information and materials.

Why I don’t love it: The stance I take with my clients is the “+1” approach – which you’ve heard me talk about if you’ve listened to very many of my episodes. Doing one more thing in addition to just applying online like everyone else.

In other words, Quality over Quantity. Should speed really be your primary criterion for deciding how to apply to a job?

-You can connect with people at that company and/or people connected with the hiring manager/other decision makers.

Love/don’t love: I love LinkedIn – as you know – and connecting with people who can help facilitate your +1 approach is always a good idea. BUT – you can still do this if you apply directly to the company.

-The recruiter can easily click over to your LinkedIn profile to see who you’re connected with. This gives them the potential of reaching out to a mutual connection to learn more about you.

Love/don’t love: I love the ability to do this on LinkedIn – but again, a recruiter can do this via your resume if you apply directly. I put clients’ LI URL on their resumes every time – and you should, too. MAKE SURE YOU’VE CUSTOMIZED IT.

-LinkedIn will direct you to similar job postings. LinkedIn’s algorithm will suggest searches for you, and you have the ability to receive alerts when potentially interesting openings appear on LinkedIn. And you can save jobs you’ve applied to for future reference.

Love: This one’s a clear benefit of utilizing LI.

LinkedIn – The Cons

-Because it’s easy to apply, it can be crowded – and LI shows you how many people have already applied, which can feel discouraging. You’ll likely have a smaller pool when you directly apply.

-It’s easy to take short cuts. It can be very easy to use a stored resume, forego a cover letter, or otherwise not make your application unique to this job opening.

-Applying via LinkedIn works best when you have a relevant and complete profile. If you are applying for a job outside of your current area of expertise or industry – in other words, you’re pivoting or reinventing your career – your experiences may be largely irrelevant to that position. And because it is so easy to click over to your profile, recruiters are more likely to see that irrelevance up front than with a direct apply.

Applying Directly to the Company – Pro’s

-There’s no middleman when you apply directly – there’s less chance for a tech error.

-The Company Website.

This is a Love/Don’t Love for me, because applying on LI doesn’t preclude you doing company and industry research. In fact, I don’t find company websites particularly helpful for the research you need to do on a potential employer, because it’s so propagandized. I find it most helpful for getting a sense of senior leadership, products/services, and how they present themselves to the world (and to whom they are presenting themselves).

-You can better tailor your materials. You will typically have more space to share more about yourself, including attachments and links.

-You can submit your materials in the company’s preferred format. Simply put: you’ll submit your resume in a way that is compatible with the company’s ATS.

-As previously stated, there may be fewer submissions than on LinkedIn, giving you more of an opportunity to stand out.

You listeners like me to bottom-line it for you, and so here’s my informed opinion

-Find the jobs on LinkedIn but apply directly to the company via their website.

-Be sure to ALWAYS customize your resume and cover letter – and take the time to submit a cover letter.

-Decide that the +1 approach is going to be your guardrail against a) going for quantity over quality, and b) getting lost in the crowd.

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